Pages

Monday, March 26, 2012

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston was a really fun book. It's meant to be fictional character Frankie Pratt's actual scrapbook. The book has all sorts of items you might find in a scrapbook: photos, letters, tickets, etc.

I really liked the premise of this book. The reader follows Frankie for several years while she graduates high school, attends college, and experiences the world. Frankie grew up in a small town and was excited to see the world. She attended Vassar with scholarships and a small windfall from an interesting source. She travels and lives in Paris.

For a young woman in the 1920s, Frankie has some unusual experiences. I was a little skeptical of them--I couldn't quite picture Frankie being a real person in the 1920s with all the events she goes through and where she ends up. Sometimes I wonder if women in historical fiction novels are written more with modern sensibilities and attitudes than the real women might have had during that time period.

Because of the format, it's a really fast read. If you like historical fiction novels, give this a try even if you aren't too sure about the format. Looking through Frankie's personal items makes the book feel more like reading a friend's story than that of a random character in a novel.